Yellow soybean paste (huangdoujiang / tao jiao)

黄豆酱 / huángdòujiàng · เต้าเจี้ยว tao jiao

Flavor and role

A brown fermented soybean paste, looser than doenjang with whole beans you can bite into. Provides the salty base flavor in northern Chinese and Thai cooking.

Typical dishes and uses

Beijing zhajiangmian, Hainanese chicken rice sauce, Thai pad pak boong (stir-fried water spinach)

Substitutes

1 tbsp yellow soybean paste = 1 tbsp doenjang + 1 tsp water, or red miso 1:1.

Storage

Refrigerate after opening; keeps 6 months to 1 year.

Main countries

China · Thailand

Updated 2026-10-10